The First Kingdom

Sermon given at Sydenstricker UMC 2/18/18

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^NRS Matthew 18:1 At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, "Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?" ² He called a child, whom he put among them,

 ³ and said, "Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. ⁴ Whoever becomes humble like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. ⁵ Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me. ⁶ "If any of you put a stumbling block before one of these little ones who believe in me, it would be better for you if a great millstone were fastened around your neck and you were drowned in the depth of the sea. ⁷ Woe to the world because of stumbling blocks! Occasions for stumbling are bound to come, but woe to the one by whom the stumbling block comes! ⁸ "If your hand or your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it away; it is better for you to enter life maimed or lame than to have two hands or two feet and to be thrown into the eternal fire. ⁹ And if your eye causes you to stumble, tear it out and throw it away; it is better for you to enter life with one eye than to have two eyes and to be thrown into the hell of fire. ¹⁰ "Take care that you do not despise one of these little ones; for, I tell you, in heaven their angels continually see the face of my Father in heaven. ^{11  12} What do you think? If a shepherd has a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go in search of the one that went astray? ¹³ And if he finds it, truly I tell you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine that never went astray. ¹⁴ So it is not the will of your Father in heaven that one of these little ones should be lost. ¹⁵ "If another member of the church sins against you, go and point out the fault when the two of you are alone. If the member listens to you, you have regained that one. ¹⁶ But if you are not listened to, take one or two others along with you, so that every word may be confirmed by the evidence of two or three witnesses. ¹⁷ If the member refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if the offender refuses to listen even to the church, let such a one be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector. ¹⁸ Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. ¹⁹ Again, truly I tell you, if two of you agree on earth about anything you ask, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. ²⁰ For where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them." ²¹ Then Peter came and said to him, "Lord, if another member of the church sins against me, how often should I forgive? As many as seven times?" ²² Jesus said to him, "Not seven times, but, I tell you, seventy-seven times. ²³ "For this reason the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his slaves. ²⁴ When he began the reckoning, one who owed him ten thousand talents was brought to him; ²⁵ and, as he could not pay, his lord ordered him to be sold, together with his wife and children and all his possessions, and payment to be made. ²⁶ So the slave fell on his knees before him, saying, 'Have patience with me, and I will pay you everything.' ²⁷ And out of pity for him, the lord of that slave released him and forgave him the debt. ²⁸ But that same slave, as he went out, came upon one of his fellow slaves who owed him a hundred denarii; and seizing him by the throat, he said, 'Pay what you owe.' ²⁹ Then his fellow slave fell down and pleaded with him, 'Have patience with me, and I will pay you.' ³⁰ But he refused; then he went and threw him into prison until he would pay the debt. ³¹ When his fellow slaves saw what had happened, they were greatly distressed, and they went and reported to their lord all that had taken place. ³² Then his lord summoned him and said to him, 'You wicked slave! I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. ³³ Should you not have had mercy on your fellow slave, as I had mercy on you?' ³⁴ And in anger his lord handed him over to be tortured until he would pay his entire debt. ³⁵ So my heavenly Father will also do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother or sister from your heart."

Jesus said that the Kingdom of Heaven in Matthew and God in the other Gospel accounts is near. What did he mean by that? Where is this kingdom? Jesus constantly throughout the ministry depicted in Matthew, Mark and Luke refers to the Kingdom as being near. Matthew talks about the Kingdom of Heaven while Mark and Luke refer to the Kingdom of God. Are they different? The simple answer is no, they are the same place, simply making a distinction for the audience that is listening to their respective narrative. Jesus wants us to stop thinking in terms of some future event when it comes to the Kingdom. God created the heavens and the earth and the Genesis story makes no distinction between the two except that the earth is the dry land. Pay attention folks, the ride gets better from here. If God makes no distinction between heaven and our own definition of Earth, then why should we. Jesus is telling us that the Kingdom is here with us, right now. In simple words, you are living in the Kingdom of God. I have heard it said that we are to be a foretaste of Heaven as a church. What I believe that means is that we are to share the Kingdom with the world even though we recognize that it is not fully complete until Jesus returns in glory to us. Jesus however, wants us to understand that the Kingdom is here with us. We are to understand that all of creation resides in the Kingdom. So instead of waiting for our own physical deaths to allow us to receive the promise of eternal life, the promise has been fulfilled in your lifetime when you give your life over to Jesus, follow His principles and teachings and share His love in relationship with everyone. 

So what does Jesus want us to understand when we talk about the Kingdom? The Disciples take an egocentric view of this question when they ask, who is the greatest in the Kingdom? Jesus answer undoubtedly surprises them when He does not answer their question directly but says that unless we become like a child we cannot enter into the Kingdom. What exactly does Jesus mean by the Kingdom?

Jesus gives us some great examples in the text you heard today. He talks about being a little child, sharing the childlike wonder and obedience to God. If we cannot approach God as children, we miss an important concept in obedience and love for God as parent. Jesus reminds us that it is we who become stumbling blocks for understanding this. When we become stumbling blocks for others or ourselves, we create barriers to living in the Kingdom. When we hate, when we fight, when we divide, we create barriers to living in the kind of love that God wanted from the very beginning of creation. Jesus reminds us that a shepherd watches the whole flock but concerns him or herself the one lost sheep that wandered away. Military people think in terms of the big picture. So do politicians and corporate executives. Maybe, just maybe, if we began to think in terms of people as people, not objects or collateral damage, we might begin to understand the concept of Kingdom as God intends.

What is it that Jesus says, “Where two or more are gathered…” He does not say that the small numbers do not matter, rather as few as two have huge power in the kingdom of God. But we have rules in the kingdom. Since we are forgiven people, we must learn to forgive. That is an important concept of loving one another. If we find it impossible to forgive, how is it possible that we will ever can receive our own forgiveness? I wonder how many of us have such a judgmental attitude that we believe we are better than, entitled to or above our fellow human beings in the world? When asked how many times we must forgive, Jesus replied seventy times seven or an infinite number.

Jesus emphasizes this with the parable about the King who wished to settle accounts with those who owed him money. He forgave the debt of the person who owed him the most only to have that man go and demand from those who owed him. The kingdom is like the King who forgave the debt of all that owed him and the expectation is that forgiveness would be passed down to those who owe those who are forgiven. Does this make any sense? We are a different kind of people who live in a very different kind of kingdom. Love does not follow the rules of culture or politics or those who aspire to success at any cost.

How do we experience the Kingdom in our own lives? What a great question for all of us to ponder over during this season of Lent. What is it that is keeping you from enjoying an intimate relationship with God? Is it your fear that God might transform you into someone different and you might no longer fit into the world around you? Have you ever considered that if that is the case, maybe it is the world that has a bigger problem? What if I told you that God wants you to be in relationship with God and that God is willing to sacrifice life itself to open that door for you? What if I told you that God has already done that so that you and I can live in the Kingdom today?

Living in the Kingdom for the early disciples meant giving up everything for each other. It meant being willing to give up their possessions, their material things, their homes and put all of that in the central pot so that no-one went without. The early disciples witnessed to the power of God with joy and celebration every waking day. They shared God with everyone they encountered with great joy and performed miracles and healings through the power of God. How? Because they were willing to surrender to the Kingdom. Are you willing?

For the last five weeks, I have talked about renewal. What does it mean, what does it feel like, and how do we do it. We began with the first church and the disciple’s empting themselves to allow the Holy Spirit to fill them. They did that through prayer, fasting and desire to be in an intimate relationship with God. Filled with the Holy Spirit they went out and drew thousands and ultimately millions into relationship with God. But it took willingness to be the instruments of God. We looked at Stephen and his seeing the glory of God in front of him. Again, he achieved that pinnacle by his willingness to witness to the power of God even in the face of culture and political power that wanted him to blend in, fit in, and become part of the world around him rather than being radical enough to share love with one another. We saw the conversion of Paul and were reminded that sometimes when we are doing the wrong thing; we can be so passionate about it and focused on it that we have blinders to what is righteous and Godly. So we need to slow down and ask God in, ask God to discern for wisdom and guidance about what is the right thing. Last week we talked about the truth of God. Jesus reminds us that we are to follow the path that God has for us, the Big Dream that God has called you too. If you are willing to empty yourself of your own desires and be the instrument of God, great things can be accomplished. We are all called to a Big Dream that God has asked you to walk with God on. Are you willing to not listen to those who would have you blend into the world but rather go where we have never been, do what we have never done and share love with those we have yet to meet? Finally, today we are offered a place in the Kingdom. Not some future residence where the world around us is safe and secure. Rather, we are called to witness to the power of God right here, right now. The Kingdom is around us, embracing us and lifting us up to new opportunities. If we are to truly live into the life that God intended from creation then we must be willing to follow God wherever that may be.

Jesus said the Kingdom is near. Do you have the courage to reach out and take the key? Where two or more are gathered, there the key resides. Empty ourselves this Lent and let God through the Holy Spirit makes us disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. Let us become disciples who are lifelong learners who influence others to serve. Let us live into a vision where Christ’s love is in action and we are bringing God to people and people to God. 

Parallel - Chapter Four

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Chapter 4

Ministry Into Galilee

The three synoptic writers in this section are telling the story of Jesus through his ministry. Throughout the dialogue, there will be miracles, healings and teaching that will occur at different times. Why? Maybe the writer is creating a narrative to lead a person to the conclusion that Jesus is who He says He is. Maybe to set the stage for the conclusion of the story. Whatever the reason, the narratives flow and stories that were likely oral traditions handed down are placed in strategic points in the story. For example, the rejection of Nazareth story. Matthew and Mark appear to tell the story late in the ministry of Galilee. Luke puts it up front. To what purpose? Matthew and Mark may have been working to present Jesus in a positive light and felt the story of His rejection by His own people would have caused harm to the authenticity of whom He is. Remember that both are likely writing to people in Israel and neighboring countries. Luke on the other hand wants to discount it early and get on with Jesus ministry. When did it happen? Wrong question? What does it tell us? How our own may be the first to believe we are someone different than who they believe we are.

So what are the narratives that are shared? All three share the beginning of Jesus ministry into Galilee. Jesus preaching at Nazareth is in all three accounts but in very different places within the story. Again, the right question is who is correct but rather what story are they trying to tell and where does this account fit within that story. The preaching at Nazareth is a rejection story. Jesus own family and friends reject his preaching because they believe they know Him. But do they? The right question might be that this is a metaphor for the fact that Jesus people, the Jews reject Him and the writers hide it in the account this way. But by doing so they can tell the rejection story. All three writers share the story of the calling of the disciples but Luke places it with a miracle. Again, what is that Luke is trying to say that the others did not feel the need to include a miracle story. We find the woman with ointment story again in all three but Matthew and Mark include it as part of the passion. Why? Maybe they feel that there should be a story about the worth of Jesus. All three share the collusion story with Satan. Each at different times and Matthew includes it twice. Is the significance that Jesus discounts His detractors or that the collusion story was a way to discount Jesus and to tell it is necessary for the greater story? Finally we see that the Pharisee’s need a sign to believe. Is this story simply about the Pharisees’ or is it about all of us?

All three writers move Jesus onto Galilee following the Temptation story and the arrest of John the Baptist. It might well be that John has served his purpose in the narrative and his arrest has spurred Jesus into the limelight now. Matthew spends time placing the exact location for the Jewish people he is reaching out to. Mark and Luke simply say he moves into Galilee, though Luke makes a point to tell us that Jesus is full of the spirit. Matthew and Mark begin to tell us that the Kingdom is near. Matthew is speaking to the Jew and their understanding of the Kingdom is Heaven. Mark is speaking to the Roman and they are more likely to connect with God’s having a kingdom.

The calling of the Disciples follows a similar thread in all three though Luke actually calls them later in the story than Matthew and Mark. Luke adds a miracle maybe to explain to the Greeks, his audience, why they would leave everything they own and follow Jesus. The commissioning of the twelve and all disciples follows a similar story line. That the work will be hard, that those who follow will be few. That they have a task ahead of them to feed the hungry, take care of the poor and heal the sick. Further, that they are to live lives trusting God for provision and not rely on personal wealth.

The woman with the ointment story is interesting if not important in many ways. Matthew and Mark place the story later than Luke does. Why? Maybe Luke felt that the story makes us think about what we are to give up for Jesus as more important than it being included in the passion narrative. Maybe Matthew and Mark want us to sense the loss of Jesus and what His worth to us is. What we do know is that the story itself is important to the message of what Jesus thinks is important, loving one another over worldly possessions.

Throughout Jesus ministry, there were those who attempted to discount who He was. Mark very early in the story addresses one of the rumors or stories that was widely circulated that being that Jesus was actually in collusion with Satan and that is where His power came from. Mark brings this story early to discount it. Matthew and Luke wait until they have shared miracles, healings and teachings to discount it.

Finally, in this chapter we find the need for signs. The Pharisee’s keep asking Jesus to perform a sign so that they might know whom He is. But true faith requires no signs and in fact, Jesus points to the Old Testament story of Jonah as a sign that they have completely missed. Is this a prophetic voice in Matthew that Jesus will be in the tomb three days? For Matthew it would have been important to tell it this way so that the reader might realize that Jesus pointed to what would happen and then fulfilled it. 

Parallel - Chapter Three

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Chapter 3

Prepare the Way, Baptism and Temptation

This chapter will explore the Gospel accounts of Jesus baptism. Was it necessary and why did it happen as they detailed it? What was the story line that they felt needed to be told? Why is there a temptation story in all three of the Gospel accounts? These are intriguing questions for a Disciple to ponder, reflect and then discern what God is trying to tell us.

Mark begins his account of Jesus with the story of John the Baptist. Why? Remember that Mark’s account is written for the Romans. For Roman citizens Jesus birth lineage would have no meaning. For all the writers, the connection of John to the prophecy of one bringing a voice from the wilderness would precede the Messiah was important. John the Baptist certainly fits this description. Matthew and Luke needed the reader to know the lineage of Jesus to bring Him in line with David, so their story started there. It may also be of interest that Matthew and Luke may have both been familiar with the birth narrative while Mark may not have been. Or this leads us back to the discussion of Q, the narrative that has never been found or Q could have been a common narrator that both the writers of Matthew and Luke were familiar with.

Let’s start with John. What we know of John from Luke’s Gospel is that he is related to Jesus through Mary (Luke 1:36). Mark’s Gospel begins with John the Baptizer. Mathew and John simply indicate that John the Baptizer comes out of the wilderness as if he is a wild man from God. That may not be far from the truth as we study the extent of John’s ministry. Historically we know that John existed and Herod of Antipas, the son of the Herod of Jesus birth, had him beheaded. John preached a sermon of repentance and baptized through the water a baptism of repentance. This custom of cleansing with water comes through the Jewish purification rituals that had existed for centuries. But John adds a twist in that he indicates that the cleansing must come from within. Come to the water and repent your sins before God and be forgiven for those sins and go forth in grace and mercy before God. John is often thought to fulfill the prophecy of Micah 4:1-5 and the prophecies of Isaiah 40:3 which tell us that one would come out of the world before the Messiah paving the way for his arrival. Is the similarity between John and Elijah a possibility that the writer desires you to make that connection? Regardless of what you believe in that regard, John did in fact pave the way for Jesus ministry. He brought together a group of followers, some of them would go on to follow Jesus, and he began the people thinking about repentance to God. 

What is it that the writers of the Gospel want us to hear in the message of John? So what exactly was John offering? John was offering hope in the midst of great unrest and struggle. On the one hand the people were struggling with the hard hand of Rome. Taxes were taking a heavy toll and Rome would put up with very little before lashing out at the inhabitants of Israel. On the other hand, they were struggling with their own religious identity. The leadership which called themselves Jewish clearly was more Roman than Jew. Herod was not a well-liked leader and many would long for his removal. The Religious leadership of the day in the Sanhedrin, the Sadducees and Pharisees seemed more about law than they did about forgiveness and repentance. So John’s message of hope in the midst of this tension was well received. Josephus, the historian indicates that large crowds followed him wherever he went. And what he invited folks to do is to get right with God. Not in the legalistic way that the Sadducees and Pharisees were demanding, but in the old way of the prophets. And his message that one was coming after him that would be the Messiah gave people hope that freedom was on the way. All three of the synoptic Gospel accounts lift this Messianic message about Jesus and a baptism of the Holy Spirit. It should be noted that John differentiates between his baptism of repentance and the baptism that Jesus will bring.

All four Gospel writers spend time with the Baptism story. In fact it does a number of important things for the greater story of Jesus. First it promotes the idea that Jesus has been chosen specifically by God for the message He brings. Second, the Gospels of Mark, Luke and Matthew indicate that God declares Jesus to be His Son. All three synoptic Gospel accounts use this baptism to begin the story of Jesus ministry. Matthew and Luke have birth narratives but we hear nothing about what Jesus message is until after the baptism story. So for all the Gospel accounts, the Baptism of Jesus is the beginning of His ministry. Why reveal it in such a way? First, that God proclaimed Jesus as God’s Son and with whom God is well please gives Jesus authority to preach and teach. Secondly the baptism of Jesus clears the way for his message of repentance, forgiveness and love amidst the struggles of legalism and law that exists. 

One of the most discussed questions of the Gospel accounts of Jesus is whether He needed to be baptized or not. There are really two theories that dominate the argument. The first is that Jesus, having been born of God, is born pure from sin. If this is the case then why get baptized at all. Those who support this argument would say that Jesus receives baptism from John in order to be obedient to the will of God. So does He need it? NO! But He needs to do it in order that God will be pleased with Him and so it is out of obedience. The second theory is more controversial. Because Jesus was born to a human mother, then all the inherent natures of Adam are also in Jesus. In other words, Jesus has the inherent nature we all have to be disobedient to the will of God and so baptism becomes necessary to cleanse that nature. We have the temptation story to use as argument that the latter rather than the former reason is true.

So what is the purpose of the Temptation story? We should note that the story is not part of John’s Gospel. John clearly wants us to know that Jesus is God right from the very beginning and having a temptation story lends nothing to that proclamation so it is clearly missing. Matthew, Mark and Luke though have the story intertwined in the beginning of his ministry. Why? To tell a story within a story I believe. First we have the baptism of Jesus and God proclaims Him to be God’s Son. And then we have Jesus tempted in the wilderness by Satan in the stories in Matthew and Luke which truly parallel one another. In Mark, it simply says that Jesus went into the wilderness and was tempted but does not lead us on an elaborate story of that temptation. Is it possible that Mark was unaware of the actual events? Now if Jesus could not be tempted why have the story? What if Jesus could be tempted in His humanness? What if the Jesus temptation story is for us more so than for Jesus? What if the story is to show us what perfection in human form looks like? Jesus being tempted by Satan would lead one to believe that He could be tempted and yet He never succumbs to that temptation. He is tempted in His hunger, He is tempted in His belief in who He is, and He is tempted in His power and authority. Yet, in all of that, Jesus never wavers in His obedience to follow God’s will. In the story, we have the perfect example of what it means to live as we were originally designed to live.  

The First Truth

Sermon given at Sydenstricker UMC 2/11/18

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^NRS 1 John 1:1 We declare to you what was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have looked at and touched with our hands, concerning the word of life-- ² this life was revealed, and we have seen it and testify to it, and declare to you the eternal life that was with the Father and was revealed to us-- ³ we declare to you what we have seen and heard so that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. ⁴ We are writing these things so that our joy may be complete.

Sometimes there are great books that come into my consciousness, books that change the way I think about things, important things like life. Bruce Wilkinson’s little book, The Dream Giver, is one of those works that I think everyone would enjoy reading, keeping a copy in their personal libraries to read over and over again. It is a short book, which makes it even more likeable to my way of thinking. The central character is someone that all of us can identify with, a person called Ordinary. I believe that this book is wonderful in its illustration of faith and perseverance.

You see this fellow Ordinary lived in the Land of Familiar. There he had the usual job, friends and family, and lived a life that could be considered by us as routine and well, Ordinary. Each of us can identify with this type of existence, for the most part; it is how we live our lives each and every day. We bumble along in our ordinary existence, wandering from place to place, looking for something to fulfill our needs. So too is the story of Ordinary. In the midst of this existence, Ordinary suddenly had a dream and in the windowsill, he found a feather. When he talked to his father, he found out that his father also had had a big dream when he was young, which included the feather. Unfortunately, his father never followed up on his dream and the feather wilted away. What strikes me as rather extraordinary about this story is the inclusion of the feather. For a feather is the instrument that was used to write words on a page in the early days of our ancestors. I find it interesting that a Big Dream would include a reference to a written record. It is my belief that we have here an analogy to the one true written record that records our big dreams and the story of each of our lives, the Bible. The other fact that strikes me in this story is the dream itself. For I believe that God reaches us sometimes through dreams. In our dreams, we are often given insight into future opportunities as well as being instructed on His will for our lives.

So in our story, Ordinary decides to act on his dream. He decides to go in search of the land of opportunity. He does not know where he is going or really how to get there. This story to this point really begins to remind me of the story of Abraham and Sara. They had a very comfortable life in the land of Abraham’s father, with land and wealth and means. Then one day, God sends Abraham a message, a Big Dream. Just as Ordinary decided to seek out this dream, so too did Abraham and we all are thankful for that decision. In his journey, Ordinary will encounter bullies who would keep us from moving out of our comfort zones. We will encounter giants like financial woes, hate, discouragement, lust, fear and anger who will try to prevent us from reaching our goal. There will be champions who assist us in our journey along the way. Finally, if we are willing to trust God and prevail we will reach our Big Dream. However, do not think that is the end, for God will offer a new Big Dream.

I read the other day that we do not come to Jesus because we are righteous and strong, but because we are needy. Once in His presence, then He lifts us up so that we may become instruments of His ministry. As we experience our Big Dreams and begin to contemplate what they mean, let us be reminded to pray and experience then the discernment of God’s will. That is a difficult thing to do as each of us has a mind of our own and a desire to go where we desire to go.

So Ordinary begins his quest. He sells all that he has, quits his job and says goodbye to all of his friends and sets out on his journey. Have you ever experienced this? Have you began a college career, gotten married and moved from where you were to a new place, gotten a new job or began a new phase of your life? Now several members of my family are in this phase of their lives today, college, marriage and new jobs. With each passing moment we experience anxiety and fear as we move out of that magical place called our comfort zone. I often ask myself what Abraham must have felt, moving to place as yet unknown to him, to a life he could not even imagine, for a future he could not even see. Each of us finds ourselves being asked to move out of our comfort zones many times during our lives and it is a difficult thing to do. We find hundreds of excuses and reasons why we should stay right where we are. If we are not careful, we then find ourselves stuck in the ordinary world and miss out on the extraordinary opportunities that God has in store for us. It is during these times that we must learn to pray, one with another and alone to discern what Big Dream God has for us.

As Ordinary begins his journey, he encounters bullies. Now these are not the bullies whom you might expect. They are his friends and his family. They have come to talk Ordinary out of this dream. I am reminded by this story of the story in Matthew where Mary and the brothers of Jesus had come to take him home. The reason that they try and help talk you out of your dreams is that the dream itself is taking them out of their comfort zone. While we are busily moving along in search of our purpose, we interact with others. That interaction can disrupt their lives as they are themselves forced to look introspectively into their purpose and their lives. So too it was with Ordinary as he first talks to his mother and then his friends. But we must prevail, God has a purpose for each of us and we cannot waver. When we do, the devil puts bullies in our path to discourage us or force us another way.

As we begin the journey, many of us have been fortunate to receive help from friends and new acquaintances. These champions help sustain us, lift us up and give us strength. Jesus and the Holy Spirit are great examples of those whom we can rely on when things do not go well or we need help and strength in the face of adversity and fear. We often refer to our guardian angel when we talk about those times that we were weak and yet we were given the strength to overcome the obstacles in front of us. One of the tragedies of the story is the loss of a champion who on the road to the Land of Promise gives all they have. The bright spot is that they are lifted up as a true hero. We have an excellent example of this type of champion in the story of Jesus who gave all that he could, so that we might yet attain our dreams.

So what is the message of the Epistle? What is it that John is trying to tell us in this wonderful piece of scripture?  I often think of this passage as one of the first official written witness messages to Jesus. John declares that what he has seen with his own eyes and he wants to share it with you and me. Jesus reminds us in Matthew 5: 17 that He came not to break the Law of Moses, but to actually fulfill the law and the prophets. What John is saying is that God revealed the truth of the law to us through Jesus. What did God intend on Mount Sinai with the Ten Commandments is embodied in Jesus. Jesus takes the Ten Commandments and reduces them to two as He sets the mark even higher maybe than the original. Love God with all your heart, mind and soul. That is the Shema prayer from Deuteronomy. Then love your neighbor just as you love God. Jesus shares with us the intent of what God has been trying to tell us from the beginning of creation.

Through Jesus God has the opportunity to show us what creation was supposed to look like. God shows us through the life of Jesus how human beings are supposed to live their lives loving one another, caring for one another and nurturing one another. Through Jesus, we see God’s intent that true love has no strings, no binds and is willing to give its life for that love. John witnesses to the power of Jesus over life itself and how God has revealed the truth of eternal life through Jesus so that we may share in that eternal joy.

So what are we to do with this? John tells us to go and have fellowship with one another, loving one another regardless of our differences, our cultures, our language and all the things we use to keep ourselves distant from one another. John is sharing this message so that we can then share it with one another so that we might have the joy that John has. The world is not open to this kind of witness. We would rather keep each other in boxes and have hearts of war. We are called to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. We have a vision of Christ’s love in action, bringing God to people and people to God. What that means is that are tasked with sharing this message John is sharing with us.

For God so loved the world that God sent us God, in the form of a man named Jesus, who came not to condemn the world but to save it. That whoever believes in this kind of love and chooses to follow Christ’s example in the world, shall never perish but have eternal life. So what will you do with the Big Dream God is giving you?

The First Conversion

Sermon given at Sydenstricker UMC on February 4th, 2018

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^NRS Acts 9:1 Meanwhile Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest ² and asked him for letters to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any who belonged to the Way, men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem. ³ Now as he was going along and approaching Damascus, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. ⁴ He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, "Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?" ⁵ He asked, "Who are you, Lord?" The reply came, "I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. ⁶ But get up and enter the city, and you will be told what you are to do." ⁷ The men who were traveling with him stood speechless because they heard the voice but saw no one. ⁸ Saul got up from the ground, and though his eyes were open, he could see nothing; so they led him by the hand and brought him into Damascus. ⁹ For three days he was without sight, and neither ate nor drank. ¹⁰ Now there was a disciple in Damascus named Ananias. The Lord said to him in a vision, "Ananias." He answered, "Here I am, Lord." ¹¹ The Lord said to him, "Get up and go to the street called Straight, and at the house of Judas look for a man of Tarsus named Saul. At this moment he is praying, ¹² and he has seen in a vision a man named Ananias come in and lay his hands on him so that he might regain his sight." ¹³ But Ananias answered, "Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much evil he has done to your saints in Jerusalem; ¹⁴ and here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who invoke your name." ¹⁵ But the Lord said to him, "Go, for he is an instrument whom I have chosen to bring my name before Gentiles and kings and before the people of Israel; ¹⁶ I myself will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name." ¹⁷ So Ananias went and entered the house. He laid his hands on Saul and said, "Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on your way here, has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit." ¹⁸ And immediately something like scales fell from his eyes, and his sight was restored. Then he got up and was baptized, ¹⁹ and after taking some food, he regained his strength. For several days he was with the disciples in Damascus, ²⁰ and immediately he began to proclaim Jesus in the synagogues, saying, "He is the Son of God." ²¹ All who heard him were amazed and said, "Is not this the man who made havoc in Jerusalem among those who invoked this name? And has he not come here for the purpose of bringing them bound before the chief priests?" ²² Saul became increasingly more powerful and confounded the Jews who lived in Damascus by proving that Jesus was the Messiah.

Three young boys had been playing at being ministers. Now you may remember back to your childhood and remember that being a boy meant often being competitive. So they began to argue about who was the greatest preacher among them. One of the boys said, I know how we can settle it. Let us baptize something this week and the best baptism is the best preacher. At the end of the week two of the boys met up at the appointed hour and began to share their experiences. The first boy said he had gone home and his little brother had come to Christ as he poured water over his head. The second boy said well I did better than that, I went home and preached to my dog and he came to Christ and I sprinkled water over his head. Well they waited and waited and the third boy never showed so they walked over to his house. His mother told them he was in bed but they could visit with him. When they arrived in his bedroom they found him bandaged from head to toe. What happened they asked? He said, well, I wanted to be the best preacher I could be so I preached and preached. Then I decided it was time to baptize so I filled the tub with water and grabbed the cat to baptize it in the water and the devil came out of him as I dunked him. The moral of this story is babies and dogs are children of God, but those cats, hmmmm.

Saul was on the road to Damascus to persecute Christians. Saul was a devout Jew, brought up to believe that God was the center of his world. Saul was extremely zealous about the Lord’s work. So much so that maybe he got lost in the translation somewhere. Have you ever been doing something you thought was right only to later find out it was wrong? Paul thought that he was doing the work of the Lord. What he discovered instead was that he was persecuting God. Years ago a young lady was having an asthma attack. I had always been taught that when a person is having difficulty breathing that they need to breathe into a paper bag in order to stabilize their CO2. For an asthmatic, that is the worst thing to do. So in my ignorance I actually was not helping. So in a very simple sense, I can understand Saul doing what he thought was right and then I also understand what emotions one has when you discover that you were wrong. Fortunately in my case, no one got hurt. But Saul who is also called Paul was responsible for people’s lives. Last week we saw Saul sharing in the stoning of Stephen. 

On the road to Damascus he encounters God. When the light of God shined down upon him, surely he knew that something special was happening. When he heard the voice surely he knew that God was speaking to him but I suspect because of the message he was confused. Wouldn’t you be? Thinking you are working for God only to have God ask you why you are persecuting me. And it is that to which he responds. Who are you that I am persecuting you? Or it might be interpreted, why are you speaking to me. Haven’t you ever done something unwittingly and had someone let you know. At that moment when you think you are right you are confused as to why they are calling you out. And so it was with Saul.

Saul is convicted of his wrong doing by Jesus. I can imagine the moment he realizes that Jesus is who he said he was. Now he must deal with the emotions that not only was he wrong in his zealous persecute of the Christians, but now he carries the guilt of Stephen and the other martyrs that he was personally responsible for. Remember that Saul is at the least, an accessory to Stephen’s murder. Can’t you imagine the hurt and anguish that is going on inside of Saul at that moment? Maybe here is the real reason that he never uses his Hebrew given name. He is so ashamed of his Hebrew roots that he can no longer call himself by that name. Who knows for sure except Saul who is also Paul? In those days it was not uncommon for a Hebrew man to have a given name like Saul and a Roman name like Paul. So from this point on we never hear him use the name Saul again. But let us look closely at what happens to him. For three days he is blinded by the light of God who has convicted him. For three days he must depend on others to lead him. It tells us that he fasted, neither eating nor drinking. I wonder if you knew that you had upset God if your desire for redemption would be so great that you would almost feel like giving up your life for death. Judas did just that? Paul spends those three days in contemplation, reflection, fear and anxiety. What is God going to do with me? What will happen to me? Have I lost my eternal promise forever because of my foolishness? Would not these thoughts have been your thoughts? The scriptures tell us that Paul is converted at this moment and become one of, if not the most important disciple of Christianity. He will go from this experience and bring the message to millions, shaping the church that we know today. But it began with God calling him out.

This scripture is important to you and me. It is important because it reminds us that God can and will use even the most unlikely person to do the great works of God. Paul, a murder and a man who was persecuting the very people of God, becomes one of the greatest evangelists of all time. If God can use Paul in this way, imagine what he can do with you and me. But in order to use us, God may have to convict us. Have you been convicted of loving God beyond all else? But loving God is not enough is it? Paul loved God. There is something else that we need to understand. We live our lives today loving God but many of us are persecuting God at the same moment. When we deny God at our workplace or in our daily lives by doing the things we know that God does not want us to do. Many of us are living in the moment and living selfish lives that are all about us. We have heard the message of God’s love but we ignore it either because we think it is not for us or that we do not deserve. Or we know that what we are doing is wrong and we refuse to repent. Barbara Mandrell wrote a song many years ago titled if loving you is wrong, I don’t want to be right. A song that outlined the sin and passion of an affair.

Maybe you think you will make your life right in time. The only thing that you must hope for is that there is enough time. Many people in the earliest days of the church refused to be baptized until near death because they did not want to have to live their lives in a right relationship with God thinking there is always time. I wonder how many of them are now looking toward heaven wishing they were there. I have also heard many young people tell me they are just not ready. Would you be ready to win the Publisher’s Clearing House if they knocked at your door? Sure you would. So why are you waiting for something infinitely more rewarding than that.

God can use us wherever we are. Our present lives are no obstacle to God. No matter where you are and no matter what you are doing right this moment, God can use us. Here is one of the most important messages you will ever hear. God loves you so much that no matter where you have been, no matter what you have done, God’s love can overcome it. God’s promise is not for those who have lived perfect lives only. In fact, most of us have messed up once or twice. Some of us more than that! Paul caused the followers of Jesus to be put to death, imprisoned, punished and abused. And yet, God called Paul to one of the greatest ministries we know. God is not concerned with your personal characteristics. Paul was a small man with a gravelly voice. He was passionate to the point of being abrasive. Yet, he reached thousands. Moses stuttered. David had a man murdered so he could have his wife. All of these are counted among the greats for God. So why not us? 

I want to ask you a question this morning. We are about to enter the season of Lent. Lent is a time to reflect on who we are, redefine who we want to be and shape our lives as Disciples of Christ. So ask yourselves today, is your promise of eternal life secure?  Have you been living your life as a good person, baptized, a church member and coming to church when it is convenient and yet walking the life of our culture and society? Do you really believe and work daily at being a Disciple of Christ? Have you surrendered to the power of the cross? During every waking moment is there a desire within you to live for Christ? Would you die for your faith? Do you leave time in your day to be in conversation with God and to be used by God? Are you in a position where if God called you could do what God is calling you to do in that moment? Are you willing to be used by God no matter what God may ask of you? Maybe you are like I used to be where the answer to most of these questions is maybe. Don’t be surprised if one day you get a wakeup call from God. But don’t wait. God is calling each of us today to be in right relationship with God because God loves us all. Saul was converted because God had greater plans for the world. What might God use you and me for?